Participation in Red Square parade a sign of better ties
ON SATURDAY, CHINESE PRESIDENT Xi Jinping attended the military parade in Moscow marking the 70th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War (1941-45). A Chinese guard of honor, consisting of 102 members, joined the parade and marched through Red Square. Comments:
This is the first time a Chinese guard of honor has participated in a Russian Victory Day parade; obviously, China was showing its respect for the important event. However, that's not the only reason for China to do so. It is important for the world to learn more about World War II from a non-Western angle. Even today, European centrism still dominates the global narrative of WWII. Sept 3, or the true end of the war, is not so well-known as Victory Day in Europe, and while Jan 27 is International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the remembrance day for the victims of the Nanjing Massacre, Dec 13, is hardly attached the same importance. China needs to makes its voice heard about a full picture of WWII.
People's Daily, via WeChat, May 10
